Missing Scenes in Season 10
by tivaforever13
Summary: Here are things I think were missing from season 10. The way I interpreted things and the way I think things should have been written. Rating may change as the season continues on. Episode Title will be at the top of the page. Tony, ZIva, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, and Gibbs.
1. Extreme Prejudice: Elevator Scene

A/N – We start at the beginning of course. I think there were many things that could have been added into season 10, so as I rewatch the season I am going to try my hardest to fill in the blanks that could have been there. We start with the elevator scene with Tony and Ziva. Enjoy.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters. I don't own some of the conversation in this chapter either.

* * *

Chapter 1 – Extreme Prejudice

Elevator Scene

Ziva felt the shudder and his arm around her waist. They fell to the floor and that was all she could comprehend at the time, though she knew. She knew that the bomb had gone off before they were out. She knew that the car was too close to the building. She knew that by making Tony go with her she had saved him and especially being stuck inside this elevator she had saved him. She knew that because she could feel his warmth beneath her as she clung to him as though she might lose her life.

"Are you alright?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm good," he said as he sat up and looked at her. "You?"

"I am fine, Tony," she said automatically and then assessed her own self, deciding that now was the time to be truthful with Tony instead of masking anything, since he was apt to find out about it sooner or later. "I am alright."

They were silent a moment as they sat there staring at each other. They were stuck in the elevator and there was nothing to do but wait. Ziva looked around. The doors would be stuck shut. There was no way out that way. She looked up. There was an emergency escape up there. She had to try.

"Let me get on your shoulders Tony, I'll try to get out," she suggested.

He looked up too. It was worth a try, but he knew her well, she was going to try to find a way to succeed and he knew it. He allowed it anyway and at first they only worked and did not talk. After several minutes of trying to push the jammed emergency door Tony spoke again.

"I'm so glad we broke protocol and took the elevator," he said sarcastically, feeling her efforts bearing down on his shoulders. "Whose bright idea was that anyway?"

Tony could feel her weight forced down on him as she pushed harder against the door, trying to make it budge just a little bit.

"What?" she snapped at him.

He spouted some useless movie reference that she ignored gracefully as she slammed her hand on the door one more time.

"She would kill men by squeezing her muscular, well-shaped thighs," he continued one with the movie reference rubbing Ziva's thigh, which made her want to jump off his shoulders and onto another part of him right then.

She took his advice and squeezed and he made a noise that made Ziva laugh. He had not expected that and it was no relief to either of them.

"I can think of worse ways to die," she snapped at him. She pushed up on the door again. "I'm almost… there! Oh, we're stuck!"

"Well, keep pushing thigh master, I'm starting to enjoy this," Tony said glancing up at her through the tops of his eyes.

"Something is blocking it! It is jammed. They are going to have to open it from the outside," she explained to him, sounding frustrated with the emergency escape at the top of the elevator.

Then, the elevator slipped and she slid down his back, but he caught her as she caught herself. She clung to his shoulder like there was no tomorrow. As they steadied she was relieved, but didn't let go of him and didn't fail to notice that he didn't let go of her.

"We slipped," she said, stating the obvious as she always did.

"Did we?" Tony asked in a sarcastic tone as though he hadn't noticed. She let go of his shoulder and faced him. "I thought the Earth moved."

He slowly turned to face her with just his head first.

"You are sweating," she said in a breathy voice.

"Oh, it's hot in here," he said quietly as he turned more to face her and see her better.

"I had not noticed," she said, which was sarcasm.

He faced her now and brushed the hair out of her face with a couple of strokes and allowed his hand to rest on her cheek.

"Really?" he asked, looking straight into her chocolate eyes, swearing that he could get lost in them forever and be perfectly content with his life.

Her phone rang. It was a call from her father. Eli David was pretending to care, but she assured him that she was fine and they used a little bit of banter to brush off the fact that Tony's father didn't call. She knew that it was just a way that he was coping with his father's lack of parenting skills and concern for his well-being, but he knew that her father was just feigning the concern.

It was surprising to the both of them how well they really knew each other when they had not shared so many personal details of their lives.

"Does he really care?" Tony asked as they sat down against the elevator wall.

"No, Tony," Ziva said honestly. "It has been a long time since he has cared. The last time he cared was when Tali was still alive. That was the last time I saw my father looking at me the way a father should look at his child. But, he blamed me for her death, even though I was not there."

"My father doesn't care either," Tony said honestly, figuring it was best to share information equally. "The last time he cared was when my mother was still alive. I was seven the last time I had gotten that look from my father, showing that he cared for his son's well-being."

"Tell me something I don't know about you, Tony," Ziva said after a minute of silence and resting her head on his chest, as though it was the most prized pillow in all the world. She inhaled his scent that she didn't get to smell often enough even though she was around it nearly every day of her life.

"Like what, Ziva?"

"A secret," she said.

"Only if you share one in return," he bargained.

"That sounds perfectly fair," Ziva said.

"Alright," Tony said thinking. "Hmm… this one is deep, you have to match it. Um… when we thought you were dead in Somalia I realized how important you were in my life. I couldn't function and couldn't think of filling your chair and your desk. It was different than when Kate died. You were something more. Perhaps it was just because you worked with me longer."

She looked up at him. She knew that was not the reason and she remembered perfectly what he had said to her under the truth serum when they had found her in Somalia alive and as well as they could expect to find her.

"it took me a long time to get through all that," Ziva admitted. "It was not easy and there are still some parts that I have not figured out how to work through, because of some of the things that happened while I was there."

Tony cringed at the thought, but Ziva planned on continuing.

"I know that you've always wondered. I know that you even tried to take my medical file to see what was in there, but you were caught by Gibbs," Ziva said. "I know that you were just concerned about me because I was taking a long time to heal mentally and emotionally to become the same woman I had been before. I was… I was…."

"Raped," Tony offered in nothing more than a whisper, shuddering at his own word and feeling Ziva shudder at it too.

She nodded, looking him straight in the eyes and that was the first time that Ziva had ever been truly vulnerable with Tony. She wanted to say something and he could see that but he decided it was better not to push her, especially since they were stuck in a tin can that was not going to move anytime soon.

"That's the part I cannot get over completely yet," Ziva said in a whisper. "It is too difficult to think of myself with a man after that."

"But, you were with Ray, weren't you?" Tony asked.

"That was an experiment, Tony," Ziva said honestly. "I did not know if I could date after all that. I did not know if I could find a way to open up to a man after all that I had been through and I couldn't do it. I couldn't go that far with him. I never trusted him with me. I don't know if…."

"If you'll find that trust in anyone else," Tony offered again. "It's okay to admit it, Ziva. It's okay to admit that and more. You are safe here. You can tell me anything. I won't hold it against you. The reason I don't find a steady relationship is because I'm afraid they're going to leave. If I get too attached, well, that'll hurt. So I don't even try. I don't know how to open up to someone like that. I don't know how to…."

"Love," Ziva offered for him. "Thank you, Tony, for sharing that. You can trust me. I won't go running because you are sometimes serious. If anything you should be glad that I didn't go running after the first week dealing with your movie references. I know better now. I know that is how you cope with something that is painful to you."

He brushed the strand of hair out of her face again. They could feel the heat rising in the elevator. They could feel their affection for one another building in that moment of pure honesty and intimacy.

"I guess we are both kind of romantically challenged," Tony said.

"You do not seem to be."

"I haven't been with a girl since…." Tony didn't finish. He didn't want to admit that EJ was the last person he had even considered thinking about. He didn't want to admit that there was only one thing on his mind lately and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had for the woman standing in front of him now.

"Since EJ," Ziva said for him. "I have noticed. You usually brag. At first, I thought you were seeing someone steadily, but you are not. I asked McGee."

Tony smiled. "No, I am not," Tony repeated. "I guess I just feel that sleeping around is a little outdated for a guy my age."

Ziva chuckled now, too. She could not picture Tony changing this much when she thought back to the Tony she had met who was having pretend phone-sex with his ex-partner at NCIS. She smiled at the memory and wondered if she would even have a shot with Tony if they didn't both work for Gibbs at NCIS.

* * *

"How much longer are we going to be stuck in here?" Tony asked. "Hello! Anybody?"

"It's been hours, Tony," Ziva said. "I cannot take much more of this."

Ziva was sitting in the corner now, her eyes threatening to close and so were his. She curled into his side again and he wrapped his arms around her wondering where this vulnerable side of her had come from.

"I hate it when people undress you with their eyes," Tony mentioned softly.

"I hate it when you flirt with random women," Ziva mentioned back to him. They both chuckled and then glanced at each other. Ziva allowed her eyes to close and to be comforted by Tony. "What about the others Tony? What if one of them is gone?"

Tony squeezed her with his strong arms as they heard a knock on the elevator. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed back in delight at having his comfort. Then, we saw a small light coming through the door. It was opening slowly with someone forcing it. We both sat up and shared a momentary glance. _This isn't over_, they agreed with that one glance. Then, Abby's face appeared on the other side of the opening doors of the elevator. Leave it to her to save us!

* * *

A/N – There it is. I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. Please review!


	2. Extreme Prejudice: Looking for Dearing

A/N – This is also from Extreme Prejudice. This is more than one place throughout the episode, because I had short conversations and pieces in my mind. So this is a collection of them. In this chapter we have Tony, Ziva, Gibbs, and Vance as main characters.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters.

* * *

Chapter 2 – Extreme Prejudice

Looking for Dearing

"Those were my people he blew up last night! Loraine was one of the best we had!" Fornell said angrily as we walked through the cleanup of NCIS.

"I am truly sorry Agent Fornell," Ziva said, her head down and hiding some anger within her.

"Traps won't work Tobias, I told you that," Gibbs said casually, glancing between Ziva and Fornell.

"That guy set spark," Fornell said.

"Yea," Gibbs said as though this was obvious.

"But he did not start the altercation, we did," Ziva argued. "He was just defending himself."

"Whose side are you one anyway?" Tony asked.

"Whose side am I on? Look! I am merely trying to point out he is no longer taunting us, we are taunting him!" Ziva said in an agitated tone, her hands waving back and forth as she tried to get her point across to everyone.

Tony shifted his gaze from Ziva, already knowing why she was angry and looked at Gibbs. He removed his sunglasses.

"Uh oh," he said. "I know that look. That's the stay up all night, no sleep, take one for the team, I've got a plan look."

"Jethro?" Fornell asked.

"Ziva's right," Gibbs said. "Force the turnover. We take the fight to him. Make him keep playing."

Then Gibbs walked away. And they watched him go, looking on in confusion, wondering where he had gotten that out of Ziva's words.

"What was that?" Fornell asked.

"You've never seen him make a realization and not reveal it?" Tony asked.

Fornell walked off after him. Ziva turned to Tony.

"I am sorry. I overreacted," she apologized.

"No need to apologize. We all knew that it would be a stupid move to try to trap him," Tony said. "I was agitated too. I am sorry for asking whose side you're on. I know you're on our side. I trust you."

"Thank you, Tony," Ziva said. "We need to talk about it."

"About what?" Tony asked curiously.

"Things are different now, Tony," Ziva said hesitantly. "We shared some personal information in the elevator. We need to talk about it. It has changed us already."

"I know, but now is not the time," Tony said back. "Dinner when this is all over? You can cook if you want, or we can do like old times and have take-out and a movie?"

"That sounds good, Tony," Ziva said and hugged him in front of whoever was cleaning up right then. They both wondered how much Gibbs could see the changes in them, since they were obvious to even Tony and Ziva who had remained nearly oblivious to the jealousies of the other through the last several years of working together.

* * *

They were at Ziva's place with a pizza in front of them. That was all that they could do was sit and look at the pizza. Ziva was hungry, she reached out and took a slice and handed it to Tony and then took one for herself. They had not talked and they had already been there for a half an hour already. Neither of them had said a word.

"Something about this doesn't sit well with me," she said to him. "I don't think Dearing would just blow himself up."

"I agree," Tony said and then they ate.

The difficult part of the conversation was over between them. The difficult part being the one about the terrorist. Ziva had something else that she wanted to say.

"This has all been very difficult for me, Tony," Ziva said. "I feel like dealing with a terrorist was like going through my past all over again. That was all I ever dealt with. But Abby's discouraged attitude earlier today was what really got to me. It was how I felt when I got captured. I could understand but was trying to look at the good."

"Nothing wrong with seeing the good, Ziva," Tony said. "Nothing wrong with it at all. You have to look at the good."

"That was what I said, but she couldn't see the good, Tony," Ziva said, looking at him while taking another bite of pizza. "I do not know how to help her."

"I don't either, Ziva," he whispered and took another bite.

When they finished Ziva leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. She could smell the scent of Tony now that she was relaxed again. It was intoxicating to her. She sat up and looked at him.

"Ziva?" he asked.

"In the elevator… I… I felt something that I have not ever felt before," Ziva said uncertainly and Tony nodded for her to continue one. "I felt safe with you there. I trust you, Tony. I trust you more than I have ever allowed myself to trust anyone. It was not a conscious decision, it just happened. I trust you completely."

Tony smiled softly at her. "I trust you, too, Ziva," Tony said.

"Did you mean it?" Ziva asked.

"What?"

"When we were in Somalia, Tony. Did you mean what you said then?"

Tony wanted very much to avoid the question. He knew that he had to answer, but he was going to dodge as long as he could. He wanted her to be specific to see if she really remembered exactly what he had said to her.

"When I said what?" he asked.

"Did you mean it when you said that you couldn't live without me?" Ziva clarified, her back straight and her eyes locked on his.

"I was on truth serum," he muttered, mostly to himself; this was something that normally would have annoyed her, but she chose to let it go today. She wanted him to answer her, so she allowed him more time to respond. "Of course I meant it, Ziva."

"I meant it too," Ziva said. "When I said I was not going without you. I realized it then. I realized that I could not live without you either."

Tony smiled softly at her and then frowned. "Gibbs."

She nodded slightly. "He has been what has stopped us all these years isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Tony said. "But, how do we avoid this. It's inevitable."

"You've said that before," Ziva said. "I am starting to see that you are right. We would have to hide it for a while, as best we can."

"Then, that's what we'll do," Tony said honestly.

"Tony, are you sure that's what you want?" Ziva asked. "A relationship with someone as broken as I am?"

"You are perfect just the way you are, Ziva," Tony said. "I wouldn't have you any other way."

Ziva smiled and leaned into his side. "Thank you, Tony."

A relationship. That was the dreaded word between them. Friendship had even been a difficult word, yet they were definitely best friends. Now they were changing that at the risk of everything. They were risking it all just to be together now. They were going to change the way that they were with each other and she knew it. She knew that soon Gibbs would pick up on it, maybe. She sighed and closed her eyes and fell asleep on Tony.

* * *

Four months later the case was coming up again and Tony was by Ziva's side the whole way. Abby was more herself, but still not quite. McGee was constantly on the phone with his mother who urged him to talk to his father. Gibbs was on a manhunt for Dearing.

Gibbs had spent four months watching his agents closely. He watched Tony and Ziva talk through problems a little better and dance around each other the same as they always had, but grow closer at the same time. He watched McGee get frustrated at his mother. He watched Abby struggle and look more and more tired all the time. He watched as Vance got angrier and angrier with the new information.

They had a conversation in the basement of his house and at the end of it, just as Vance was walking up the stares Gibbs had to stop him.

"Vance, thank you," Gibbs said. "For letting me do this."

"Extreme Prejudice means at all costs, no matter what," Vance said. "You get him Gibbs and show him the true power of NCIS. He can't just walk free."

"I doubt he'll be walking when I'm done with him Leon," Gibbs said.

"I know, Gibbs," Vance said. "I am approving the mission. Get packing. You leave first thing in the morning for this. Protect our agents and navy men and women. Protect your family."

"That's why I'm doing it, Leon," Gibbs said.

"I know, Gibbs," Vance said. "Hey, what are they all to you?"

"My family, Leon," Gibbs admitted. "My kids and Ducky is a brother."

"I understand how you feel," Vance said. "Before I had a family of my own, my team was my family. I see that in you. I know that they would still be your family whether yours was here or not."

"Thank you, Leon," Gibbs said again, feeling eternally grateful again.

* * *

"Ziva is upset," Tony said, obviously aware that it was a little deeper than that.

As soon as Gibbs was gone, Tony motioned with his head toward Ziva and pulled her close in the empty break room.

"I know we agreed none of this at work, but I know you are upset," Tony whispered.

Ziva just clung tighter to Tony. She didn't want to let go of him. She didn't think she could lose Gibbs.

"He is being foolish," Ziva said into Tony's chest, hitting it lightly with her fist.

"I know, Ziva," Tony said. "Trust me, I know. He's Gibbs and will always be Gibbs."

Ziva nodded into Tony's chest and pulled away from him when they heard feet coming into the room. They were looking at each other and then Ziva turned just as the person came into the room.

"He went ahead and went for him anyway?" Abby asked.

"Yes," Tony said. "Ziva is upset."

"So is Tony," Ziva said.

"Since when do you two speak for each other, or even get along this well. It's been a strange couple of months," Abby said, squinting her eyes at the two of them. "You are oddly cooperative with each other. What happened in that elevator?"

"An understanding, Abby," Ziva said. "That is all."

"I see," she said and turned and walked away to go find McGee to see how he had reacted to this news. It was going to be difficult until they knew how Gibbs had come out of this.

* * *

Gibbs stood at the entrance to NCIS feeling better for having eliminated the threat. He watched as his agents went home that day. Tony and Ziva were standing next to each other at the coffee shop. He was going to have to keep a close eye on those two, because something had made them get closer that day. Abby walked by them with a smile on her face. McGee was next to her but he was paying attention to Gibbs. He nodded his head toward him. Vance walked out, talking on the phone to his wife. Gibbs had done what he set out to do. That was all that mattered.

* * *

A/N – There it is. That is all that I have for the first episode of NCIS season 10, Extreme Prejudice. Let me know what you think.


	3. Recovery: Insecurities

A/N – Wow! What a fantastic response to this story so far! Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I will do my best to update it whenever I get the chance! And thank you for someone pointing out that I had made a point-of-view shift, I had not even realized, I have fixed it! Thank you all! Here is missing scenes in episode 2: recovery. It is mostly Tony and Ziva scenes, because I didn't feel like anything else was missing.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters

* * *

Chapter 3 – Recovery

Insecurities

* * *

Car Ride from the Crime Scene

"Tony, must you flirt so much at work?" Ziva asked as they sat in the car together on the way back from the crime scene. "I know we are acting normal at work, but it does bother me a little."

"True," Tony said. "I can't just stop though, Gibbs will think something is up since I've been appearing to try to get this one for a while now. Perhaps just slow it up a little, see that I'm not getting anywhere with her, you know."

"But, all the time Tony?" Ziva asked shifting uncomfortably as she found Tony's hand in the center of the car.

He glanced at her briefly, sensing her discomfort and nodded to himself.

"Of course, Ziva," Tony said. "You know it was all for show, right?"

"I do," Ziva said. "I am just afraid that I might hurt one of these ladies that happens to apparently catch your attention."

Tony smiled. "There is only one who has my attention, Ziva," Tony said and looked at her since they were at a red light.

She smiled at him, meeting his eyes and getting lost in the depths of them for a moment. Her smile widened.

"Thank you, Tony," Ziva said with a satisfied smile. "Now I am perfect."

Tony smiled and drove through the light which had just turned green.

"Why do you think Gibbs is all of a sudden putting us together more often and not me and McGee or you and McGee?" Tony asked.

"Because we were both trapped in that elevator, Tony. He guesses that we will stand a better chance against a psych eval if we stick together through the recovery process," Ziva said. "I already asked him," she added in seeing Tony's look of shock on his face. "We were in that elevator together for six hours, Tony and that is a long time. He knows that we did not kill each other, obviously and figures maybe we have something shared now that we have that. He thinks that we have grown closer and he is okay with that. I talked to him, because I noticed that he was putting us together a lot and I was concerned that McGee was feeling a little left out."

Tony smiled as he pulled into a space in front of the NCIS building. "Thank you for asking him. He takes to your questions better than he takes to mine and I've been wondering for a while now. Are you sure you are okay, Ziva?"

"I am better than I was a few months ago. You have helped me to heal since the bombing, Tony," Ziva said. "No psychiatrist would be able to do that, simply because I do not trust people."

"Come on, let's get upstairs before they suspect us," Tony said. "Stairs?"

"Are you afraid of it at all?" Ziva asked.

"Yes and no," Tony said. "I haven't taken the elevator since the building was repaired, but most of the time I was with you. I'm afraid to take the elevator without you. Mostly because, I figure we will be fine as long as we are together."

"I am just… afraid, Tony," Ziva said. "But, with you there, I think I will be okay. Let's take the elevator and see how it goes."

Tony smiled at Ziva and took her hand as they entered the elevator. He could feel her tense and he wrapped both of his arms around her. He pressed the button and held on tightly.

"We will have to let go before we get to the top," he reminded her.

She had relaxed completely into his arms and was feeling safe and protected now that he was holding onto her. The elevator didn't seem all that bad with him there to keep her safe.

"I know, Tony. We are also breaking our rules today. We need to be careful if we are going to start breaking our rules," Ziva said.

Tony nodded and rested his head on top of hers. They really shouldn't be breaking their rules and their rules were to act like they had always acted, which in reality was not too difficult. They just had to pretend like they weren't together. As much as it killed Tony to flirt with other girls sometimes, he did it for their appearance and as much as it killed Ziva to be mean to him on occasion, she did it for their appearance to the others.

They had agreed on this until they had a solid amount of time under them and no complicated cases. Then they were going to talk to Gibbs about what they had been doing and for how long. They knew that rule twelve was in place for a very good reason, but they had to prove that they could work together and be in a relationship without anything interfering first. That was the only way that Gibbs was going to see that it was already working. That meant keeping it out of the office and off the job. They were having a difficult time with that today, because of the upcoming psychological evaluation and the use of the elevator thrown in, since Gibbs had already teased them both about not using the elevator a couple of times each.

* * *

Car Ride to the Armory

"Tony, what do I say to this guy? Do I tell him that I am in a relationship? They always ask? Do I tell him that I am afraid of elevators? They always ask something related the supposed trauma!" Ziva spat out into the silent car.

"I told him that I was seeing someone. He asked me who. It is confidential Ziva, he can't tell Vance, I asked," Tony said. "I told him who I was seeing. He asked a lot of questions about our relationship."

"Like what?"

"How long we've been together. How it affects our working relationship. How I feel about you. How I feel about you as a coworker as opposed to how I did before we were in a relationship. How close we are. If we're sleeping together," Tony said.

"And, what did you say?"

"I was honest, Ziva, you should be too," Tony said.

"You were honest about us not sleeping together?" Ziva asked, her face going a slight shade of pink.

"Yes, I was honest about that," Tony said. "Ziva, I'm not ashamed of it. I'm okay with taking it slow. I already told you that. He also knows that, too, because he asked me how I felt about it. I was the one who said I wanted to take it slow physically anyway, if I remember correctly. Listen, we don't need to be sleeping together for me to know how I feel about you, Ziva. Besides, I think we've gotten closer much faster without that."

"I agree," she said. "But, I feel like it is my fault that we aren't doing that."

"When you're ready, Ziva. And, when I'm ready too," Tony said with a smile on his face as he got into the car and buckled his seatbelt.

There was silence as Tony started the car and backed out of the space and made his way toward the highway.

"I feel off, Ziva," Tony said. "My mind seems to be stuck in the elevator still, but mostly with you. I've lost some of my focus, trying to keep up appearance is hard. I'm done flirting with other women. I'm done trying to make it look like I'm still the playboy Tony that I always was. I can't do it anymore. If that is the only thing that I can do to get my focus back then that's what I'm going to do."

"You have seemed a little out of focus…."

"Off focus, Ziva," Tony said. "The term is off focus."

"Since the elevator. If that is what you need to do, then do it. We will deal with questions as they come. But, you need to be focused on the case. Luckily, Gibbs is distracted by Abby's nightmares at the moment, so now is the best time to change what you have been doing to hide our relationship."

"Abby is having nightmares?" Tony asked.

"Yes, she told me. But, she did not tell me what they were about," Ziva said. "She calls Gibbs every night that she wakes up from one. I told her she could call me before realizing that that was probably not the best thing to say."

"You can always ignore a phone call," Tony reminded her.

* * *

Interrogation Room

"Here we go! Typical feminazi, blindly defending her own!" the suspect said.

Ziva's eyes narrowed as she walked back over to the interrogation room table.

"Excuse me?" she asked, leaning over and looking him straight in the eye, despite here dislike of the cologne that was too strong.

"You heard me," he said pointedly as Ziva's eyes widened.

"You may not have noticed, pal, but that's not a swastika hanging around my partner's neck," Tony said quietly as though it were a secret.

"Wow! Talk about déjà vuz! It's like the same interview, right down to the whipped boyfriend," he said in a tone of irritation, looking back and forth between us.

"Whipped?" Tony asked, his eyes straight on the suspect.

"Boyfriend?" Ziva asked, trying to make it sound as though this were a shocking theory, though she had heard the guess too many times to be surprised when someone even thought of suggesting that they were together; the difference this time is that they were together but just hiding it.

"Oh yea! The love-sick puppy that was hanging all over Midge and her every word," he said. "Oh yea! She had that guy wrapped up big time. Just like the two of you!"

Ziva sat down again in the chair.

"For you information, sir, we are _not_ together," Ziva said indicating her partner. "He is not my boyfriend, nor is he love-sick. Trust me I hear about his conquests every other day."

"And, Ziva has a boyfriend, last I knew," Tony said. "Has one that is very into her, but certainly not whipped. Ziva isn't that kind of woman. She doesn't whip her boyfriends. She either likes them as they come or she doesn't date them. That's the way it is with her. Now, back to Midge. Who was this man you are talking about?"

"I don't know," he said. "I didn't ask his name. I know I just wasn't good enough. I wasn't a female so therefore she didn't hire me. The same reason I'm a suspect here, because this woman wants to think that men are always in the wrong."

"I do not think that," Ziva shouted standing up. "You obviously don't know that we have arrested women here too. I, in fact, have arrested plenty of them. I also worked for Mossad and some of the people involved in my cases were women. Therefore, you have no right to judge me or apparently Midge either. Like I said, the other person was probably more qualified to deal with the job of an NCIS munitions specialist."

"Describe Midge's boyfriend," Tony said, changing the subject and seeing that Ziva was under a lot of stress from this guy.

He gave them the description and they left without another word. Once they were in the hallway, Ziva leaned her back against the door. She had never felt so assaulted in her life for being a woman, and there were times in her life where she had been not taken as seriously for being a woman. But, she was proud of herself and she was happy about who she was and what she did.

"You okay?" Tony asked as Vance came out of observation.

Ziva knew that Vance was right there and saw that Tony was too. "I am fine, Tony. We can talk about it later, first let's go to the 'boyfriend's' place of employment and start asking questions."

* * *

Psychological Evaluation of Ziva

"Ah, now it is Ziva's turn," the psychologist said.

"Good luck," Tony said with a look that made the others look at him with curiosity.

Ziva followed him into the conference room. She sat in the chair and looked at him. He looked back at her for a moment. He was overly happy, yes, but this couldn't be so bad, right? He would ask a few questions. She would be honest. Then, she would go back to work.

"So, how do you feel since the bombing?" he asked.

"Fine," she said. "Okay, that is not true. I am terrified of the elevator. I have only used it once since that day and that was this morning with Tony."

"Tony was with you in the elevator, was he not? When you got trapped?" he asked.

"Yes, he was," Ziva said.

"Has that brought you two closer?"

"Yes," Ziva responded.

"How close?"

"Close enough," Ziva said with the ghost of a smile on her face, trying to think like she was talking to Tony and not a stranger about this, since opening up for her was not the easiest thing to do in the world.

"Are you better partners at work because of it? Do you see each other outside of work? Do you have a boyfriend who supports you through this? Does your boyfriend know about your closeness with Tony?" he asked all at once.

"Tony and I are better at work because we communicate more effectively than we used to. We do see each other outside of work frequently and he is my boyfriend, who supports me through all of this," Ziva answered straightforwardly.

"That is all very good. Having someone to support you through your fears and insecurities is the most important thing after something like this. Especially since you two were both in the same situation," the psychologist said. "He will understand better than anyone how you feel and I know that because I've seen him reading you like a book and getting it right, based on your reactions to what he says about what you haven't said or something. That is all, Miss David."

Ziva left the office, feeling alright about having actually talked to the psychologist and feeling optimistic about the future. She found Tony waiting for her and the office entirely empty aside from them. She smiled at him and took his hand in the darkness of the office.

"Let's take the elevator," she whispered to him. "I think I could get used to it again, with some help from you."

"Me too, sweet cheeks," Tony said with a smile. "Me too."

They walked toward the elevator and entered it, still holding onto each other. Ziva pressed the button this time and clung to Tony for a feeling of safety that she desired and smiled up at him when the elevator reached the bottom. They had done it again. She was proud of herself for allowing Tony to help her with this instead of suffering in silence like she usually did when something was bothering her.

* * *

A/N – A little drama between Tony and Ziva with the acting normal at the office. A little emotions revealed. A little worry about Ziva having to talk to someone she doesn't know. But, it all turned out well in the end. Let me know what you think!


	4. Phoenix: Hiding a Relationship

A/N – We are on the third episode. This is really fun to write and really fun to try to read the characters as they go through a case. I hope you are all still enjoying this story. Phoenix gives us Ducky back, which is good, though I think all bases were covered with Ducky. But, I do have some Tony and Ziva scenes that I wanted to add in and a Ziva and Gibbs scene.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters

* * *

Chapter 4 – Phoenix

Lunch break

Tony and Ziva sat down at the table outside in the Navy Yard, away from where the others usually went. There was a small Israeli place that they had taken to going to for lunch because Ziva was typically the only one on Gibbs' team that wanted to eat there. Tony looked at her.

"If you keep siding with me, McGee will grow suspicious," Ziva mentioned.

"I know, but you were right," Tony said. "I'm trying to keep it like we always had it, but it's hard."

"I know, Tony," Ziva said.

They started to eat. Several minutes into their lunch Tony looked at Ziva again. She looked back at him.

"I love it when you wear your hair like that," Tony said. "I didn't say anything about it this morning. I know we just overslept a little."

"Yes, that is why I did not fix it better," Ziva said. "I did not know you liked it like this."

"I do," Tony whispered. "But it makes it difficult to concentrate. Perhaps the next time we stay over on a school night then we should set an alarm?"

Ziva chuckled at him. "That is probably a good idea. But, I would think you would call it a work night and not a school night as neither of us are in school."

"Just an expression, Ziva," Tony said rolling his eyes lightly.

He moved his chair closer to Ziva and ran his fingers through her wild curls. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

"I've been wanting to do that all morning," he whispered to her, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

She smiled and looked at him. "I know," she said as they finished up.

They held each other's hands while walking most of the way back toward the Navy Yard, but when they got close they dropped each other's hand and looked like they were nothing more than coworkers who had decided to have lunch together.

"No one is here," Ziva said as they stepped back into the squad room. "We should catch up on whatever we missed when we left for lunch."

We were standing in front of the big screen, trying hard to keep some distance between us. My arms were crossed, so that I would not automatically reach for his hand and he was standing a little ways away from me. That way no one in the office would suspect more than they ever had and when the team got back they would not suspect, especially since our backs were turned.

* * *

Morning after learning there might be a dirty bomb involved

"Tony!" Ziva said, standing above the bed.

Tony jumped and sat up. She smiled at the topless Tony as he looked so confused. He looked at her and saw that she was dressed and dragging a brush through her hair.

"You are going to be late to work. I am going to go so we are both not late. You slept right through the alarm and me getting out of bed," Ziva mentioned. "Perhaps we need to eliminate movies on a school night as well?"

"Are you seriously wearing your hair down today? And curly?" he asked with a groan.

Ziva laughed at his question and placed her brush down on her dresser. She turned around to look at him again.

"Yes, Tony, I am," Ziva said with a smile on her face. "I do not have time to do anything to it. I, unfortunately, also slept through the alarm we had set. Like I said, no more movies on a school night. Get ready and get to work as fast as you can."

Tony leapt out of bed and nearly ran over to Ziva. She looked at him. He was only wearing a pair of pants. She placed both of her hands on his chest and looked into his green eyes.

He bent his head down and kissed her on the lips, running his fingers through her hair and she laced hers in his. They were locked their for some time, until finally she felt him press closer to her. She pulled back out of the kiss and looked to the floor.

"Tony," she whispered. "First, there is not time. Second, not yet."

"I know, Ziva," he whispered back. "That doesn't make me any less attracted by you, though. I'm sorry. I'm really trying not to put the pressure on you here."

"You are not putting pressure on, Tony," Ziva whispered. "I know that your body is just reacting and that tells me that you want me the way that I am. I know that. Get ready and get to work."

* * *

Gibbs talks to Ziva after the case

"What was that smile all about, Ziva?" he asked. "I know you said we are whole again. But it seems that you are happier than you should be lately."

"I am just happy, Gibbs," Ziva said evading the question. "Yes, a terrible thing happened to us a couple months ago at NCIS. But, we have everyone. Tony and I were fine and did not kill each other in the elevator. McGee only had a flesh wound. Abby seems to be suffering less nightmares and was perfectly fine. You only had a tiny scratch on your head. Palmer came back to us instead of going on his honeymoon. And finally, Ducky is back from his heart attack."

"How did you and Tony end up in the elevator anyway?" Gibbs asked. "I believe that breaks protocol, and I know that neither of you are that stupid."

"It was my idea, Gibbs," Ziva said. "I knew it would be safer if a bomb did go off, because I have seen it before. I also knew that it would be faster to get us out if we did have time, especially with everyone on the stairs."

"I have seen you and Tony before," Gibbs said. "You never agree on something, especially not whether to break protocol or not. Something like that is not something that Tony would agree to normally. What were the circumstances?"

"I grabbed him and ran, Gibbs," Ziva admitted. "I had to make sure at least one member of the team was alright. It was the least I could do."

"There's more to it than that, Ziva," Gibbs said quietly. "There has always been more to it than that."

Gibbs walked away, leaving Ziva in her own thoughts. Tony walked up behind her, watching Gibbs walk away. He was confused, but waited until Gibbs was gone to look at her.

"Ziva, what was that about?"

"Nothing. Gibbs is just trying to figure out why I am happy and why we took the elevator," Ziva said.

"You didn't tell him that you told me you weren't going anywhere without me, did you?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"No," Ziva admitted. "You never told him that you told me you couldn't live without me, did you?"

"You remember that?" Tony asked.

"How could I forget, Tony?" Ziva asked. "I was just about dead in Somalia and you were on truth serum, but you still said it and you were so far from joking that I knew that it was important, I knew that it was the truth. You did not tell Gibbs?"

"No," Tony said. "I suppose the reasoning is all the same. McGee once questioned me about it but I never answered him."

"I know, I was hiding and listening to hear what you would say," Ziva said. "If I remember correctly your response was clear if you knew you."

"I said, I was under the influence of truth serum McGee," Tony told Ziva. "I said what I meant. But, if you can't figure it out on your own, you need to work on your investigative skills a little more."

"You were so angry. I am so sorry for that," Ziva said.

"No need to be sorry," Tony reminded her. "No need to be sorry at all. It's not your fault."

"But it is, in a way," Ziva said. "I had a hard time trusting you after the whole incident with Rivkin and that was not your fault that I did not trust you, that was Rivkin's fault. I chose to trust my father again and I hurt everyone in the process, but especially you."

"Don't you see it, Ziva? I betrayed your trust most of that year," Tony told her. "I was going behind your back and investigating Rivkin."

"But, you were protecting me, yes?" Ziva asked and Tony nodded. "I know that. I knew that then, too. You always had my best interest at heart, Tony. You were just trying to make sure I was safe."

Tony put a hand on her shoulder and then pulled her into a hug.

"I knew there was too much happiness in the office," Gibbs said. "Ziva, you putting on a good face again?"

"No, Gibbs," Ziva said, pulling out of the hug slowly, knowing that it was best not to jump, though she wanted to hide. "Just clearing up some old issues with Tony. We've agreed that we need to get along better."

"When did you make that agreement, not that I mind that?" Gibbs asked.

"We agreed on that in the elevator," Tony said.

"That the only thing you agreed on, DiNozzo?"

"No, we're going to be honest with each other," Ziva said. "Talk like the friends that we are."

"Good, go home and talk," Gibbs said. "It's getting late and we've had a rough case with a late night in it. Go home. Talk it out. Drink it out. Whatever you have to do to get it out. I like that you're getting along, not a bad thing."

Gibbs picked up his bag and left for good this time and Tony and Ziva followed his example and picked up their own bags heading for the elevator to go to her apartment.

* * *

A/N – I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think.


	5. Lost at Sea: Almost Caught

A/N – Okay! Some of these are scenes that are partially in the episode, but slightly changed to fit my story! I hope you like them!

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters

* * *

Chapter 5 – Lost at Sea

**The beach/crime scene**

"Okay, if it's that easy, I want you to pick up the next woman you see," Ziva said. She was having a hard time keeping up the appearances at work and Tony really didn't like that suggestion at all, since he wanted to be only with Ziva.

"That's juvenile, and I'm more mature than that now," Tony said nodding his head toward Ziva and looking straight at her, fighting the urge to smile since Ziva was the next woman he saw.

"Well, if either of you manages to get a date, I will do both of your case reports for the entire month," Ziva said with a smile, looking at McGee.

"Game on," Tony said, walking over to Ziva and ignoring Agent Borin as she snuck up behind him.

"This a game to you, DiNozzo?" she asked.

He glanced back at her and whispered in Ziva's ear.

"Will you go on a date with me tonight? Dinner? You don't have to do my case reports and you don't have to tell McGee," he whispered.

Ziva chuckled too lightly for McGee to hear and whispered in his ear. "You bet."

Tony finally turned to Borin and finally answered her.

* * *

**Ride back to NCIS between Tony and McGee**

"What was that with Ziva?" McGee asked curiously.

"Nothing," Tony said. "Just sharing some information with her. Hey, listen McGee, I'm really not into dating Borin, so I'll help you pick her up, but I'm not going to try."

"What? Since when are you not into picking up every woman you meet?" McGee asked, sounding shocked.

"Since now, probie," Tony said, without looking at him. "Listen, as much fun as it was to play your stupid game last night, I really don't want to go out with those girls, nor do I want to flirt with them again. I just want some peace."

"Peace? No dating? Not interested in dating Borin? What's gotten into you?" McGee nearly shouted at Tony, turned in his seat, staring at him now.

"I told you, nothing," Tony said. "Taking a little hiatus from the dating world and focusing on me. I'm… I'm ready to settle down, McGee and, well, I can't do that by living by my old habits. I just want to do this right, you know?"

"Are you seeing someone?" McGee asked.

Tony glanced at McGee. He wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't lie, but he couldn't tell the whole truth either. McGee's look was of disbelief as though he would never hear Tony say what he was saying now.

"Yes," Tony finally admitted.

"What's she like?"

"Best woman I know," Tony said quietly. "Beautiful, smart, funny, dangerous. My kind of woman."

"Sounds like you're really into her, Tony! How long have you been with her?" McGee asked.

"Long enough," Tony replied, knowing that the answer would give away too much information, since Tony and Ziva were definitely acting different around the office and they were blaming it on getting along better. "It's pretty serious, I think."

"That's great," McGee said.

They were silent for a while and McGee really wanted to know who the girl was, but didn't want to ask, because Tony was giving him vague answers. McGee thought it was best to leave his private life in private. It seemed that Ziva didn't know that he was dating someone, considering the dare that she had given them. McGee would help Tony out and go for Borin now.

* * *

**Job skills**

"Speaking of job skills," Ziva said, slapping rubber boots onto Tony's desk.

"What's this?"

"Rubbers for your date with Borin," she said with a seductive look on her face.

"Extra large! You knew my size," Tony said wittingly.

Ziva smirked, but hid it as a grimace. Tony smiled up at her. Ziva was blushing slightly, but McGee didn't catch onto it. Ziva looked curious though, since they hadn't done that yet, and yet they were referencing it.

McGee had to get up and interrupt their silent exchange. McGee asked and Ziva explained that Borin needed some help and Ziva volunteered them. Then, Ziva's phone rang and she stared at Tony as she talked on the phone. He grabbed the boots and watched Ziva talk to whoever was on the phone. They gave each other a very slight nod that McGee missed as Tony and McGee went toward the elevator.

They got in the car and Tony let McGee drive.

"Why don't you just tell her you're seeing someone?" McGee asked. "It would make it easier."

"Are you kidding, McGee?" Tony asked. "You know how we are. You know that I get jealous when she's with someone and she gets jealous when I'm with someone. You know how it is. Do you honestly think I'm just going to throw something like that in her face?"

"She doesn't get that jealous," McGee muttered. "Okay! Maybe she does, but honestly, wouldn't it save us a little, so I didn't have to get a date with Borin?"

"Nope," Tony said. "She'll claim it's cheating somehow."

* * *

**Dinner with Tony and Ziva**

"Why did you suggest that McGee and I ask the first person out?" Tony asked as they sat down in the dining room of a casual restaurant after work.

"Because it seemed fair," Ziva said. "And we do have pretenses."

"Well, McGee now thinks I'm seeing someone," Tony said. "Which I am, but what the hell do I tell him if he asks who she is?"

"Either the truth or a version of the truth," Ziva said. "If you don't wish to give a name, tell him you do not want to sphinx it."

"The term is jinx, Ziva," Tony said.

"Whatever, you know what I meant," Ziva said to him as the waiter came over.

They ordered their drinks and appetizer and read the menus silently. They ordered their meals when the waiter came over with their drinks.

"Ziva, I'm not asking Agent Borin out," Tony said. "I'll only date you, no matter how many dares you give me."

"As long as you're sure this doesn't count as me needing to do paperwork?" Ziva asked nervously.

"I told McGee that you would see it as cheating," Tony said with a smile.

"Well, it is," Ziva said. "I'm your girlfriend, but I gave you the dare and me asking myself to stay away from you while McGee tries to find a date is ridiculous!"

Tony laughed. "That's true. You don't have to do my paperwork or his," Tony said. "But, if he finds a date, I'll help you with his."

"Thank you," Ziva said. "That's thoughtful."

They finished their dinner in silence, then they both went back to Ziva's apartment. They watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch in each other's arms. The night was just about perfect. When they woke up they got read and kissed each other on the lips as they went to separate cars.

Surprisingly they arrived at the office at the same time that morning.

"Did you drive slow today?" Tony asked as they got into the elevator.

"Yes, there was a lot on my mind," Ziva said, looking at Tony. "Well, no, you were on my mind. How much I'm enjoying this relationship, but how much I wish I didn't have to hide half the time."

"I know the feeling. You think we should talk to Gibbs?"

"Not yet," Ziva said. "They're not even suspicious. We'll talk to him soon."

"Yes, we will," Tony agreed as the elevator door opened. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I wouldn't mind dinner again tonight, or just a movie, whatever you're in the mood for."

"How about some take-out," Ziva offered in a whisper, wondering how far away Gibbs was and what he was watching and listening to. "And a movie, of course."

"Perfect," Tony whispered back as they separated and made their way to their own desks.

* * *

**End Episode**

"Since we found the missing Helo and my boat, my review is looking pretty good," Borin said as they arrived back at the office. "So, how about a drink on me as professionals."

They were just entering the squad room. Tony locked eyes with Ziva for a moment before answering Borin.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to take a rain-check," Tony said. "I've got a date tonight."

"Really? With who?" Borin asked, stopping and looking at Tony. Tony's eyes flashed toward Ziva only momentarily.

"Someone special," Tony answered sincerely.

"Sounds serious?" Borin asked.

"I hope so," Tony said quietly.

"She's right," Ziva interrupted. "It does sound pretty serious. I wonder, what is this someone special like?"

"Oh, you know," Tony said quietly, looking at Ziva. "She's a pretty, smart, funny, dangerous brunette. Gorgeous would be more accurate, I think. Great personality once she opens up, but that doesn't come so easy to her. Enjoys movies, cuddling, kissing, talking, going out…."

"I think I know what you mean," Ziva said quietly, looking back at Tony and then her eyes snapping to Borin before anyone could notice that they were getting lost in each other, but Borin was already speaking.

"How about you, McGee, Ziva?"

"I can't," Ziva said. "I have a date as well. After all, it is Friday night."

"I'll go," McGee said quietly. "Boss?"

"Sure, why not?" Gibbs asked. "You better go ask Abby, though. She'll be unhappy if no one invites her."

McGee nodded and headed toward the elevator as Tony and Ziva collected their things to go for the evening.

"You two got a minute?" Borin asked as she stepped into the elevator with them.

They glanced at each other and then back at her, as she hit the emergency stop switch. It was a little too eerily like Gibbs.

"Does he know?" Borin asked.

"Does who know what?" Ziva asked.

"Does Gibbs know that you two are together?" Borin asked. They both shook their heads with a glance at each other again. "Don't worry, not going to say a thing. I know he's got his rules for a reason. But, you two make it work. Even had me fooled for a moment, until you got a little lost in each other's eyes. Ziva, perhaps you shouldn't challenge your boyfriend to find a date with another girl, though, which probably means that you shouldn't challenge McGee to it either, just to keep it fair."

"Thank you, Abigail," Ziva said quietly. "For not telling Gibbs. We will tell him. But, we want some time under us before we do, so he can see that it has already worked."

"I understand," Borin said. "Well, you two have fun tonight. And, I'm holding you both to that rain-check that DiNozzo promised me."

"Sounds fair," Ziva said. "Perhaps after some dinner, we can meet you at the bar. We do not have to work tomorrow morning."

"That sounds fair," Borin said to them with a nod. "Call me if you decide that's what you want to do."

"Will do," Tony said quietly and Borin reached over and turned the elevator back on.

* * *

A/N – let me know what you think!


	6. Lost at Sea: At the Bar

A/N – Here is a scene that I would have liked to see in my version of the story. This is the bar after the case with Agent Borin in Lost at Sea, in with my version of season 10. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters

* * *

Chapter 6 – Lost at Sea

**Joining Borin at the Bar**

"We'll be there in five minutes, Abigail," Ziva said into the phone. "Bye."

She hung up her cell phone and reached across the center consol of the car and grabbed Tony's hand. She hadn't remembered to ask if Gibbs and the others were still there. She really couldn't picture Gibbs staying out in a bar for very long. Every time he did go out with the team, he didn't stay very long. He was not very social and she sort of hoped that he had gone home. But, even still, if Abby was there, they would have to hide, because Abby couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

Tony pulled into the parking lot of the bar.

"Whatever happens, Zi, we're sticking together," Tony said. "I know that they might see something tonight if we're all drinking."

"I know, Tony," Ziva said, grabbing his hand again and walking them toward the bar.

The others were sitting at a booth with drinks in front of them. Ziva and Tony dropped each other's hands immediately and walked up to the bar together. Abigail Borin found them there and paid for their drinks. Two martinis, extra dry, shaken, not stirred.

They followed Borin over to the booth where they were sitting. Gibbs was still there. He was sitting next to Borin. McGee was on the other side of Borin. Abby got up to let Tony and Ziva in. Ziva slid into the booth first and Tony after her.

"Good to see everyone relax a little," Borin said. "Thank you two for joining us. How were your dates?"

"Great," Ziva said happily. "He took me to a very nice dinner."

"I could tell by how you were dressed," Abby said happily. "What about you Tony?"

"It was perfect," Tony said.

"That's great!" Abby nearly squealed. "But, how are you two not even remotely jealous of the other's significant other? Aren't you usually?"

"They're getting along now, Abby," Gibbs said. "They told me."

"Since when are they getting along?" Abby asked curiously, as though she had missed an important memo.

"Since they were stuck in an elevator for four hours," McGee said. "I noticed that right after that. They started getting along better right away. It's about time they were honest with each other."

"We're still here, McGee," Ziva reminded him.

Tony placed a hand on Ziva's knee under the table. She smiled a little, and hoped that no one noticed and she took his hand and laced their fingers together, luckily no one could see. At least, while they sat, they could still hold each other's hand and show small signs of affection.

"Well, I think I'm going to call it a night," Gibbs said. "You kids have fun."

He leaned over and whispered something in Borin's ear and then they both smiled and Gibbs got up and left. The others were curious.

"He just told me good job," Borin defended herself. "He thinks I'm doing well with my own team."

"You are," Tony said immediately, trying hard to defend her as well, because Ziva was tense next to him. He gave her hand a slight squeeze.

They continued to drink for a moment. "We should try to get Gibbs a date!" Abby said suddenly. "And maybe me, and the other Abby, and McGee, too. It's not fair that you two had dates tonight and none of the rest of us did! I mean, it's a Friday night!"

"And we're all here, as a family," Ziva said significantly.

"But, still, we should try to get Gibbs a date," Abby said.

"Good luck with that!" Borin said. "That man doesn't do well with set-ups, you know. Or, that's what I've heard."

"From who?" Tony asked.

"Just what I've heard through the grapevine," Borin responded. "But, I'm going to go too. I do have to work in the morning."

She got up after a round of goodbyes and left the four others to themselves. Abby joined McGee on the other side of the table. They immersed in a conversation while Tony and Ziva immersed in their own. After several minutes Abby looked over at Tony and Ziva. They were practically nose to nose while they talked and too close together.

"So," she said, dragging out the word. "Tell me about your dates, as in your people!"

They both startled a little and looked at her. Both McGee and Abby were staring.

"How long have you two been watching us just now?" Tony asked.

"Long enough to see that you two were having quite a personal conversation," McGee said loud enough for them to hear.

"And long enough to see that you two are sitting oddly close to one another considering you each just came from a date with someone else," Abby said. "If in fact you were with someone else."

"Abby," Ziva warned, hoping that she wouldn't continue.

"No, Ziva. It's my turn to be nosey," Abby said sharply. "Tony is usually always sticking his nose in other people's business and he hasn't been doing a great job of that lately… therefore, I am taking it upon myself to be nosey and find out what is going on here. I mean, seriously, you two just had dates, then you walk in and you're holding hands, and you order the same drink, and now you're sitting ridiculously close to each other when there is plenty of room on the bench and you get wrapped up in a very deep conversation, so deep that Ziva, your ninja senses didn't go off when we were watching you!"

"Let's go dance," Ziva suggested, hoping to distract Abby.

It worked. They went to the dance floor and began to dance. Abby soon found McGee and was dancing a little too close. Tony and Ziva were trying to stay far enough away from each other that the other two couldn't figure it out.

But, someone tried to cut in between them and Ziva pushed the man out of the way and found her way to Tony and began to dance closer to him. The man got the message and walked away. Abby had seen it, but she had had too many drinks at this point and was a little fuzzy.

They all left the dance floor at the same time for another drink. They drank this round at the bar. They were all tipsy by this point, but Abby was the farthest gone.

"I'm going to take Abby home," McGee said.

"Yea, I think we're going to get going too," Tony said quietly.

They left the building together. McGee had to basically support all of Abby's weight and he put her into the car and went to walk around the back of it to get into the driver's side. He stopped dead in his tracks. The car directly behind his was where Tony and Ziva were standing.

Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva's waist and pushed her back against the passenger side of the car. He leaned his head down and pressed his lips to hers. She opened her mouth to allow him access immediately and their tongues started to battle for dominance immediately, exploring each other's mouths yet again. It was a comfortable kiss that was filled with too much passion, more passion than they usually showed. They weren't drunk, but they were tipsy enough to be showing each other a little more of what they wanted.

McGee stood watching them. He knew that this was far too comfortable to be a first kiss. He backed up a little bit and cracked Abby's door open a little.

"I left my wallet inside, I'll be right back, stay there," he said to her, without taking his eyes off of Tony and Ziva.

He closed the door and locked the car so that Abby couldn't get out. He walked bravely over to Tony's car.

Tony was just lacing his fingers into Ziva's hair and Ziva had already locked her arms around his neck and in his hair when they heard someone clear their throat. They pulled apart and looked startled toward a shocked-looking McGee. Ziva blushed and wanted to hide behind Tony.

"Busted," Tony whispered into Ziva's hair, without taking his hands from around her waist.

"How long?" McGee asked Tony and Ziva. "How long have you two been together?"

"Five months," Ziva said shamefully.

"And you've hidden it from us for this long?" he asked curiously. "Why?"

"Rule twelve, McGee," Tony said quietly, feeling just as ashamed. "Never date a coworker."

"Is that why you two have been getting along so well?" McGee asked.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"What about that bet? Did you have to not see him for a while?"

"No, what I whispered to Ziva was a question. I asked her if she would go to dinner with me that night, but she didn't have to do our paperwork," Tony said. "After all, she was the first woman I looked at after she said that comment."

"I guess that would have been cheating then," McGee finally agreed with Tony's earlier words. "Wow! I guess I didn't expect it. When do you plan on telling Gibbs?"

"We have not decided," Ziva said. "Not yet, though. Please, McGee, don't tell anyone."

"Who else knows?"

"Borin," Tony said. "But she agreed not to tell Gibbs. She knows his rules."

"You're breaking his rules," McGee said. "That could cost you a head slap. It's worth waiting to see that. Just tell him when I'm around, okay?"

They both glared at him. "Fine, whatever. I won't tell anyone. You're really lucky that Abby didn't see you. She's terrible at keeping secrets!"

"Thanks for not alerting her to what you saw," Tony said. "What did you see anyway?"

"I saw you two, looking quite comfortably tangled up in each other," McGee said. "And getting a little lost in the moment and where you were. You'd better be careful with how physical you get in public. You never know who's watching you."

"Good point," Tony said with a shrug and opened the door that he had pressed Ziva against before. "Hey, thanks, Tim, for keeping it to yourself."

"No problem," McGee said. "Just be careful."

"Always," Ziva said as she took Tony's hand and let him help her into the car.

"Hey, Ziva, where's your car?"

"At NCIS," Ziva said. "I'll go back for it in the morning. Don't worry so much McGee."

"Good night," he said.

Ziva smiled at him and Tony closed her door. Tony said goodnight and watched McGee walk back to his car with Abby. Then he got in and drove Ziva back to her place.

They were outside her door, with it already unlocked when their lips met again. Tony gently pushed her back into the door and her arms locked around his neck, finding the bottom of his hair again. He didn't want his hands to wander too much but, they seemed to have a mind of their own tonight. He pulled away from her a little and opened her door, pushing her through it and closing it behind him.

Their mouths never came unlinked as they made their way to her bedroom door, where they stopped, and continued to kiss. Ziva pulled away after a moment and sighed. She was shaking a little, as well as breathing heavily.

"Not tonight, Tony," she whispered.

He was not surprised by this. "I know," he whispered back at her. "Your eyes were telling me the same thing."

"That is why your hands stopped roaming?" she asked.

"That's why," he whispered back to her, pressing his lips to hers. "I could see fear there. And, I don't want you to be afraid."

She smiled against his lips and kissed him again, pressing her whole self into him before she realized what she was doing to him. Then she pulled away again and looked apologetic.

Tony pulled her back to him and pressed his lips to her one more time and then looked her in the eyes. There was no need for her to feel sorry. She got the message and nodded to him, leading him into the bedroom and cuddling into his side under the covers, where her hands and his continued to roam a little, but not too much.

They kissed one more time before falling asleep.

* * *

A/N – Uh-oh! Looks like McGee caught them! Wonder how that'll work out for them. Will McGee keep his mouth shut? Will he let something slip? Who knows! Let me know what you think!


	7. The Namesake: Opening a Little More

A/N – Missing scenes from Episode 5 "The Namesake" in my version of season 10. We get to see a little more openness from Tony and Ziva, since we didn't get to see a bunch of that in the season, like I hoped we would, and we also get to see a conversation between Gibbs and McGee, which is significant along with some of Gibbs thoughts in my version.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters.

* * *

Chapter 7 – The Namesake

After the Pawn Shop

"Ziva," Tony said, looking worried in the break-room. "I need to tell you something."

"You look worried, Tony, what is it?" Ziva asked, seeing the concern on his face.

"Boss almost cried today, I think," Tony said. Ziva's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. "We were in the pawn shop there and there was a Congressional Medal of Honor sitting there, not for sale, of course, because you can't sell them. The owner's name was Leroy Jethro Moore. It was Gibbs' dad's best friend. I don't think I've ever seen Gibbs that close to tears before."

Ziva's eyes were wide with shock and she understood the reason that Tony was looking worried about this. She wondered why he would look like he was about to cry over this.

"Guess he needed the money and boss said that he was named after him," Tony said, with a face that told Ziva he was thinking deeply about this.

She moved her chair closer to Tony's and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Gibbs will figure it out, he always does, Tony," Ziva said quietly.

"You look like you've had something on your mind today," Tony mentioned.

"Yea," she said with a small nod. "I do not like how McGee is staring at us all the time. I am afraid that it will draw suspicion, but I do not feel ready to tell Gibbs yet. What if he finds out before we are ready to tell him?"

"Then we deal with that then. In the meantime, we ask McGee to stop staring at us," Tony said with a small shrug. "It might work."

"Yes, it might," Ziva said quietly and removed her hand from Tony's shoulder, following her rules again about not touching in the office to keep things professional. "Let's go talk to McGee, since Gibbs is out."

They walked together toward McGee's desk and stood behind him. He was staring at them again.

"McGee, we have to ask you not to stare at us quite so much when Gibbs is in the office. It will draw suspicion. We are not yet ready to talk to him about this," Ziva said.

"Sorry," he said shaking his head a little. "Just can't help thinking about it… I mean, you two were never great at getting along, were you?"

"We get along fine, McGee," Tony said quietly. "Look up what I told you about."

"You two may want to offer to separate yourselves a little more, too," McGee said. "Like when he doesn't give a direct order for something maybe one of you suggest to take me along as well. Not that that happens very often, but sometimes it does."

"Sounds like a plane, McGenius!" Tony said with a smile on his face.

* * *

After the College Dorm

"I was educated today, Tony," Ziva said as she arrived at his apartment. "I went to a college dorm. Apparently it is okay in college to wake up at three in the afternoon and I got to see a vacuum pump beer bong. Whatever that is. Sounded pretty party-like to me."

"That would be, yes," Tony said. "Sounds fancy. Never used anything like it. If you wanted something like that, you had to make it yourself. They don't sell anything like those in stores."

"And you were not a builder?" Ziva asked.

"Do I look technical to you, Ziva?" Tony asked curiously, raising his eyebrows as he came around the corner wearing a T-shirt and long pants, already ready for bed. Ziva took her turn in the bathroom.

"No, I guess that was never your area of expertise, was it?" Ziva asked.

"Nope," Tony said quietly.

"McGee told me what he asked you today about the Adams House," Ziva said quietly.

"Like I said to him, no news is good news, right?" Tony said quietly.

"In your father's case and in my father's case, yes, Tony, no news it the best kind of news," Ziva said quietly, poking her head around the corner and looking at him.

Then she disappeared into the bathroom again. They were, again, staying together. They had not spent a night apart in quite a while now and they were really enjoying this time together.

"What happens if he calls and wants to come around?" Ziva asked.

"Who?" Tony asked her, calling into the bathroom and getting up and heading that direction.

"Your father," Ziva said. "Mine would never call. More likely he would show up."

"Mine, too," Tony said quietly. "Sometimes he let's me know."

"But what would happen. I mean he cannot keep a secret," Ziva said quietly. "Would we have to spend the week apart, or however long he was around?"

"I don't know, Ziva. I haven't given it much thought. Should I?"

"Probably," Ziva said quietly. "What if he wants to come see you?"

"We'll find a way around it. But, I would rather die than go all that time without seeing you," Tony said quiet honestly, sounding far too serious.

Ziva opened the bathroom door. She was wearing a tight white tank top and a pair of long pants. Tony's eyes combed down her body and then back up again. She smiled when his eyes met hers once more.

"See something you like, Tony?" she asked in a more seductive tone than normal, that drove Tony a little insane.

"Always do," he whispered to her, planting a kiss on her lips and holding her close to him. "Always."

Ziva laughed at him and pressed a small kiss to his nose. He pulled back a little bit.

"And what would we do if your father showed up?"

"Run," Ziva said quietly. "I do not wish to see my father or spend any time with my father, Tony. I do not wish to ever see him again. He is not my favorite person in the world."

"Seriously? You would run from him?"

"No. I guess I would just get angry and walk away, after telling him to leave me alone," Ziva said more honestly with a frown on her face. "Honestly, how could I face him again?"

"Ziva?" Tony asked seeing the look on her face.

"Somalia," she whispered and shuddered, since she was remembering things that she would rather forget.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really… maybe… I do not know, Tony," she said, sounding frustrated.

"No pressure, Zi. Whenever you're ready," Tony whispered in her ear and held her close to him, hating that it still hurt her sometimes, even though it was more than three years since she was rescued from that horrible place.

Ziva sobbed a little into his chest and he knew that she was crying. He had never seen her really cry. He squeezed her tighter, thinking she probably never allowed herself even that much of crying over it, in all the three years since she had been back in America.

"It'll be okay, Zi," he whispered into her ear. "Just let it out. It's okay to cry. It's okay, I promise. I'm right here. You're okay."

He continued to whisper sweet nothings in her ear, encouraging her to let it out and that he was there for her, no matter what. Ziva felt so unbearably loved in that moment. She squeezed him tight in her arms as she let the tears flow from her eyes into his chest for the first time since returning from Somalia. He could feel the warm wetness her tears were leaving on his shirt, and it didn't matter to him, because it was Ziva and he would do anything for Ziva. This was easy in comparison to traveling halfway around the world, thinking she was dead.

After a while the tears stopped and she looked up at him, her eyes and cheeks wet from the tears. He reached one hand up and wiped the tears gently from her cheeks. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You feel better after that?"

She nodded to him. "I will talk about it, someday, Tony. I promise you," she said quietly. "Just not yet. Sometimes it is still too painful."

"I see that," he whispered back to her. "You never allowed yourself to properly heal."

"No, Tony. I did not," Ziva said quietly. "That is why I am such a mess now. I am sorry for that."

"Nothing to be sorry for Ziva. A good cry never hurt anyone," he said.

"Thank you," she whispered and pressed another kiss to his lips. She did feel better and she felt more whole after crying some of it out, which was something she had always wanted to do but never felt safe enough to do. She certainly felt safe in Tony's arms, though.

* * *

Going to the Dorms for the Roommate

"Tony, you should not have commented on Gibbs' father like that. There is something obviously wrong there," Ziva said quietly as Tony drove.

"Well, I think that's obvious. His dad's best friend pawned the Medal of Honor. Gibbs asked McGee for the address, which McGee gave it to him. We found out that his father hadn't spoken to his best friend in forty years. Yea, I think there's something going on. Some secret or something," Tony said. "Maybe it has to do with Gibbs' mother. Not saying anything bad, but what if there were some unspoken emotions or something there?"

"That does sound like a possibility, Tony," Ziva said quietly. "I hope it was nothing against Gibbs' mother, though. Gibbs seems like he has enough problems with his father. I would hate to think that he had issues with his mother as well. I do not know what I would have done had I had issues with my mother for the time that she was in my life."

"You never talk about your mother, Ziva," Tony whispered and grabbed her hand from her thigh and held it tightly. "I don't know what I would have done either. My mother was the best thing in my life, while she lived."

They were silent now. They both had issues talking about their mothers. They both had gone a long time without their mothers. Ziva sniffled a little.

"I miss her still," she said quietly, tears streaming down her face. "She left my father after one too many times of cheating. I never saw her again. I do not know what happened to her."

Tony squeezed her hand. He knew that must be difficult for her to bear. He knew his situation was difficult and he silently wondered what was so bad to make her leave, not only Eli, but her children behind as well.

* * *

Case Closed

"McGee, you got a minute to talk?" Gibbs asked as he watched Tony and Ziva walk out of the squad room to go home for the night after finishing their paperwork.

"Sure, boss," McGee said, signing the last thing and closing the manila folder and looking up.

"What do you know about those two?" he asked curiously. "You been spending an awful lot of time looking at them in disbelief."

"Just can't get used to them getting along so well, I guess," McGee said quietly. "No bickering, less flirting, less banter. It just doesn't seem normal, does it?"

"It's nice," Gibbs said thoughtfully. "You don't question nice. But, while you're on that train of thought, for them it is not normal. Did they have a big fight or something?"

"Usually if they get in a fight we know about it, because it's here, boss," McGee said honestly. "I don't think they got in a fight, no. They are getting along too well. Do you think the elevator could have changed them that much, boss? Where they can get along like normal people and act like they might even be able to be friends one day?"

"They are close, aren't they?" Gibbs asked.

"Seems that way to me, boss," McGee said quietly, hoping that he was hiding it well enough to not be spotted by Gibbs.

"It does seem that way. Just wondering if you knew something. But, if you're doing what I'm doing then you are doing it more obviously than I am doing," Gibbs said.

"What are you doing, boss?" McGee asked, sounding confused.

"Just watching two of my best three agents to see what's going on with them," he said with a shrug and a smile. "Don't make it so obvious that you're watching them, McGee. They'll get suspicious if we're all watching them. They might think we don't trust them to be honest with us about something. Maybe they're not hiding anything. Perhaps they just changed for the better in that elevator. Perhaps they changed for the worse. I'm not sure. Won't be able to tell for a while yet. They're still recovering and I know Ziva has never fully recovered from anything. Give them time to heal, that's what I say. They need some time."

"Sure, boss," McGee said, listening to his boss speak his mind so openly, in a way that he had never done before.

"Go on, McGee. Get out of here and enjoy your weekend," Gibbs said finally.

Perhaps he was right. Perhaps there was nothing going on with Tony and Ziva. But, Gibbs was still a little curious at what caught McGee's attention to them. But, he had not asked if he had seen anything, only if he knew anything. He didn't really think that McGee would lie to him and he had told him what he knew, or at least partly what he knew. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something going on with his agents, but he was not going to question something good when it was right in front of him. It was one of his rules after all. Rule five. Don't waste good. He wasn't going to waste it. They were working phenomenally well together lately and there was no wasting that.

* * *

A/N – There you are. Let me know what you think, as usual. I love hearing back from everyone!


	8. Shell Shock: Just Having Fun

A/N – Here are missing scenes from Episode 6 in my version of season 10. I hope you all like it. This is a little more playful and fun, I think.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters

* * *

Chapter 8 – Shell Shock

Before Episode

Ziva had just finished doing the dishes and Tony had just gotten out of the shower. The neighbors were at it again. Ziva rubbed her eyes, tiredly. She sighed and rolled her eyes up at the ceiling, hoping that they would stop before it was time for them to go to bed. This was getting bad. She had not been to her own apartment in two weeks and she was seriously considering going there for a night, except that she enjoyed Tony's apartment much more now that she had been welcomed there instead. She just didn't enjoy Tony's neighbors.

She made her way to the bedroom and found her bag. She pulled out some pajama pants and a tank top and changed quickly. Tony came into the room while her back was turned and she was topless. She heard the door open and smirked as he gasped. She finished putting her tank top on and laughed quietly. When she turned around he still had not composed his features.

"See something you like, Tony?" she asked.

He laughed now with her. "Oh, yes. I think I do. Hey, you once told me you were a screamer," he mentioned, cocking his head toward the neighbors. "Do you suppose this is how your neighbors felt?"

Ziva bit her lip and laughed. "I suppose yes, that is how they would feel if I had had anyone over my place," she stated.

"You too? With no one at your place?"

"I avoided it as much as I could, yes," Ziva admitted and walked up to Tony. "I am tempted to go knock on their door and interrupt what they are doing, while holding up my badge that tells them that I am a Federal Agent. Have you ever thought of doing that, Tony?"

There was a playfulness in Ziva's eyes that kind of drove Tony nuts. "I think that would be wrong, sweet cheeks," Tony said smiling at her. "But, if we're going to be up again all night, what do you suggest we do?"

"Watch a comedy, loudly," Ziva said.

"A comedy?"

"So we can get a good loud laugh in, too," she said.

"Are you trying to outdo them in noise?" Tony asked, cocking one of his eyebrows up.

"Perhaps that is the case, yes," Ziva said. "Because, honestly Tony, I do not know if I would be such a screamer with someone I trust to… um…."

"Please you?" he asked waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She laughed at him and walked over to him. "Yes, that was what I was referring to," she said quietly. "I mean, I guess I don't know if you would please me, do I?"

He laughed again, but this time it was nervously. What exactly was she saying? She could see the confusion in his face. She laughed at him and pressed her lips to his cheek and then whispered in his ear.

"Yes, we are taking things slow, but that should not mean a standstill. You are allowed to touch, you know," she informed him.

He smiled widely and placed his hands immediately on her hips as the screaming continued. They both glared at the wall where the noise was coming from. She rolled her eyes again.

"A comedy it is," he said quietly. "I've got an idea. Forgetting Sarah Marshall!"

"What?" Ziva asked.

"It's a movie. It's a comedy. There are certain scenes, where if we turn it up, then perhaps they'll get the point," Tony suggested and Ziva laughed hysterically.

They watched the movie and the neighbors came knocking on the door and asked them to keep it down. Then, around two in the morning they were kept awake, as they had nearly drifted off to sleep, by the same neighbors that had come knocking on their door.

* * *

The Ride to Work

"I cannot believe they kept us up all night again!" Ziva sighed in frustration.

"I can't believe I grabbed the wrong bag last night!" Tony said, laughing at Ziva as she wore dark sunglasses on a cloudy day, making her appear hung over.

"I also cannot believe my car broke down this morning," Ziva said laughing a little. "If they were not suspicious before, they will be, by the time I can get that thing fixed, especially with the way we have been getting cases lately."

Tony laughed along with her. "At this rate, we might as well advertise that we are staying in the same place," Tony laughed. "I mean, we're both exhausted because of my neighbors and your car is broken."

They both laughed at this as Tony pulled into the Navy Yard and parked his car. They were still laughing uncontrollably as they got into the elevator. The mood had a difficult time getting serious as they made it into work at the same time. Ziva whispered in his ear. "Don't forget, acting like we always do," she reminded him.

* * *

Observation Room After Gibbs Walks Out

Ziva turned her back to the wall and Tony put one arm on either side of her, since her eyes were closed. He was smirking and he pressed himself up against her, causing her eyes to snap open. She smiled mischievously and then scolded him.

"We are at work, Tony," she said sternly.

"Yes, we are," he said. "In a dark observation room all by ourselves."

She smirked. "In that case, we should be observing the interrogation room, should we not?" she asked, leaning up against him and running her hands from his waist to his chest and up to his shoulders.

"We should be, yes," he said unsteadily as her fingers laced through his hair.

"Okay," she said with a smirk and pushed him away from her, turning to face the interrogation room and watch.

"Ziva, that's not fair," Tony said with a frown as he stood next to her.

* * *

Lunch

"I can't believe Gibbs bought this! An excuse to go to lunch together. He's been so cautious lately," Tony said with a smile on his face.

"Well, we are working also, Tony, so let's get to work," Ziva said.

Tony took her around the middle as they walked through the Navy Yard to find lunch while they worked. They continued using their handheld devices to search while they ate, and Tony held onto Ziva. Then, they found who they were looking for. They walked back toward the building and held onto each other until the elevator let out a ding as it opened, when their arms immediately dropped away from each other.

* * *

Gibbs Sends Them Home for the Night

"How did it go with Captain Westcott?" Ziva asked.

"Not good," Gibbs said. "He kind of lost it on me."

Gibbs went into telling them how he was acting. When Gibbs was done explaining that he was angry and his brother had said that he never acted like that, Ziva sat thoughtfully at her desk for a while. Gibbs had to tell her to go home twice.

"Ziva?" he asked. "Ziva!"

"Yes, Gibbs?" she asked, startling.

"Go home," he said.

She caught up with Tony in the elevator and he hit the bottom they needed. "Were you just going to leave me here, Tony?" she asked confused.

"No, I was just drawing some suspicion away is all," he informed her. "Where was your head just now?"

"We can talk about it when we get home. You drive, there is something I want to think about," Ziva said quietly.

Tony drove to his apartment in silence, allowing Ziva her time to think. They grabbed dinner on the way home and Ziva ate in silence. When the pizza was gone she looked up to Tony.

"I think Captain Westcott has PTSD," Ziva said slowly and carefully. "You know, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was diagnosed with it when I returned from Somalia. I never talked to the doctors and refused the medication. I mean, the flashbacks, the confusion, the anger issues, the memory loss even is what kind of points it out for me. I never had memory loss, which was good. But, I am nearly certain that's what's going on with him."

"You had PTSD?" Tony asked.

"Well, yes," Ziva said, waving a hand at him as though it was of no importance. Tony caught her hand and held it tightly, looking into her eyes.

"Do you still have flashbacks? Confusion? Or anything else?"

"Not really flashbacks, Tony, no," Ziva admitted. "Sometimes I get caught up in my thoughts, but I always know what is really happening and what is not. The nightmares are gone again, so that is good. I do not fly off at you or anyone else the way I did for a while. I believe that I am getting better, Tony, but if I had accepted help, it probably would have gotten better sooner. But, that is not the point right now. Right now we need to worry about how we can help Captain Westcott. He may or may not be guilty, but that is not important right now. If he has PTSD then it is possible that he did not know what he was doing at the time that he did it."

"You're just going to blow a statement like that off, as if it's nothing?" Tony asked, shaking his head.

Ziva put a hand on Tony's cheek and caught his attention finally. She looked him right in the eyes. She smiled at him and pressed a kiss on his cheek and chuckled.

"I don't see what's funny about this," he said. "I don't see it at all."

"Tony, you are funny," she said, still giggling. "I love it when you worry about me before everything else, do you know that? It makes me feel important, or something. It's a comfort. But in reality this time I promise you that I am fine. Actually, I am better than fine right now. I have you here with me."

He chuckled lightly and kissed her on the lips, seeing that she really was fine this time that she said it. He pulled her close to himself and held her tightly.

"And I am extremely happy that you are fine, Ziva," he said.

She was practically laying on top of him and her heart rate had picked up a little. She pressed a kiss to his lips and remained close to him. He held her close and his hands began to roam on her back, something he had not really allowed before, as he remembered her words about slow but not a stand still. He smiled against her lips and then his tongue was at her bottom lip asking for entrance. She obliged and their tongues started a small wrestling match with each other.

When they pulled apart they stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Then, Tony grabbed her butt and squeezed. She shrieked a little and laughed loud for a moment, before ticking his side and he laughed hard as he could.

"I will get you back for that!" he shouted and ran toward the bedroom after Ziva who had gotten up and dashed there as fast as she could. They were both laughing.

Tony caught up with Ziva and tackled her onto the bed and began to tickle her sides and ribs. She was laughing hysterically.

"Tony," she shouted as a self-defense, laughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes.

She laced her fingers through his hair and pulled his face to hers, causing their mouths to crash together. His fingers stopped and began a much gentler exploration of her body. They got lost in each other in only a matter of moments and didn't stop getting lost that night.

When Ziva woke up the next morning she smiled instantly into Tony's chest. It was before the alarm went off and she snuggled into him a little deeper and inhaled his scent. He knew she was awake. He had been awake for a short while, waiting for her to wake also.

"Good morning, Miss David," he said and pressed his lips to her forehead and she chuckled.

"Good morning, Mister DiNozzo," she replied and ghosted her fingers over his chest as she opened her eyes and raised her head up to look at him. "I certainly had fun last night."

He laughed, but his smile was genuine. "Oh, so did I," Tony said back to her, pulling her closer to him and kissing her on the lips again. Her eyes darted to the clock. They had plenty of time, so she allowed herself to get lost in Tony again.

* * *

Break Room

Ziva could not find Tony for a while. She looked everywhere and finally entered the break room. Tony had his head down and she walked in.

"There you are!" she said smiling and walking over to sit down with him. "Are you looking at more homely pictures?" she hit him lightly on the shoulder as she sat down, pulling her chair closer to his. Ziva laughed a little, but then noticed the expression on his face.

She finally sat and looked at him, feeling a little concerned, though she didn't let it show on her face. "Are you alright, Tony?" she asked him, crossing her arms in front of her.

Tony looked up and stared into Ziva's eyes for a moment. "Can I show you something?" he asked her.

"Yes," Ziva said with a faint smile on her face, glad that he was sharing with her.

Tony reached into his bag and pulled out a stack of pictures and handed them to Ziva. Right on top was a picture of a blonde woman with a blonde little boy. They were both smiling happily, standing outside of a movie theatre. Ziva's face lit up with a smile.

"Is this your mother?" Ziva asked.

"Yes," Tony said with a faint smile on his face.

Ziva's eyes teared up a little, but she was still smiling. "Wow! Wow, she was beautiful," she said, her eyes returning to the picture and smiling a full smile.

Tony smiled, too. "Oh, I guess she was," Tony said with a small shrug.

"How come you never talk about her?" Ziva asked.

"I don't?" he asked.

"No," Ziva said, shaking her head. "No, you don't."

"Well, I guess… um… she was the first woman to break my heart," Tony said quietly, glancing between Ziva and the picture. "And I... don't like to talk about things like that."

Ziva looked up at Tony in understanding, nodding her head at him. She grabbed his hand on the tabletop and looked right at his eyes.

"You don't like to talk about it, because you don't want to," Ziva said. "Maybe it causes you too much pain." There was silence for a moment and Ziva moved a little closer to Tony. "So she was the one who took you to the movies, huh?"

"Yea," Tony said and smiled again. "Yea, we would go to these dollar matines, on these weekend trips into the city, and there was this theatre she loved over on 42nd Street. It's pretty run down, but she loved movies. And, you know, I think she loved the escape. This is the last movie we ever saw together… right before she… The Little Prince."

Ziva had gone through a range of facial expressions and matching emotions. She was smiling when he was talking about the memory and she nodded in understanding when he explained about it being the last movie. She looked as though she were in pain while he was. Then, she nodded.

"That which is essential is invisible to the eye," she said.

His eyes widened as he leaned into her.

"Ziva David, did you just quote a movie?" he asked her.

"No," she said shaking her head and looking amused. "I quoted a book that was made into a movie."

"Huh," Tony said with a smile on his face and Ziva let out a small chuckle.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips and pulled him up to his feet, hugging him and he squeezed her tight. She smiled when they pulled apart and agreed to go back to work. They walked back, holding hands and breaking their office rules, but smiling all the same.

They went to their separate desks and discovered some answers. They were a little too eager to stand close as they talked about the Ijil Rebels. Then it was time to go.

* * *

A/N – I had to include the scene about Tony's pictures and them talking about his mother. I know that it is just a scene from the movie. I did add to it and tweak it a little, but I thought it was an important moment in the season so it should be added. Let me know what you think!


	9. Shell Shock: The Opera

A/N – I apologize for the delay. I was having some troubles finding Shell Shock (2) online. Also, this is a little shorter than the others because I didn't have much to add to the episode.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters

* * *

Chapter 9 – Shell Shock

Stake Out

"So, Ziva, what is the deal about the opera?" Tony asked. "I know it doesn't have anything to do with a boy, because otherwise I think you would have asked me to go."

"It is… only Tali," Ziva said quietly, looking out the front window of the car.

"Your sister?" Tony asked, staring directly at her.

"Mhm," Ziva said nervously. "I think about her everyday but this week is… this week is the most difficult."

"It's when you lost her," Tony said, now also staring out the front window, not daring to move.

"It's her birthday," Ziva corrected. "Tomorrow actually. Tali used to sing Buccini and even my… my father's eyes would get… filled with tears…. You know her dream was to be on stage. So, every year on her birthday I go to the opera in honor of her, but this year… this year was…."

"It's sold out," Tony said, reaching across the center of the car and taking Ziva's hand, feeling her relax a little.

"Yes," she said, relieving her internal tension in that one word. "And, I know it sounds really silly… but I feel like I'm… like I'm letting her down and… the love of a sibling is… well, I'm lucky… lucky to have known it."

Tony moved his hand from hers to her shoulder and pulled her into a hug across the center of the car. Then, they spotted the girl they were looking for and the moment was broken.

* * *

Squad Room After Case is Closed

"Hey," Tony said, entering the squad room again.

"Hey, are you heading over?"

"Yup," Tony said.

"Abby was so excited Gibbs moved thanksgiving to tonight," Ziva said, grabbing her coat.

"Listen, I told the boss that you're going to be a little late," Tony said, walking over to Ziva's desk.

"Come on, Tony! You've seen me drive! I'm never late," Ziva said defensively, throwing her arms out defensively.

"Did you know that McGee installed a crazy surround sound system in here? I came in one night and he was playing video games," Tony said, seemingly off-topic. "He was wearing a cape."

Tony pushed a CD in and pressed a button and some music started. Ziva's face relaxed and she had a small smile.

"I know it's not the same but maybe if you closed your eyes it'd be like you were at the opera," Tony said quietly. "And maybe even like Tali's there with you."

He handed her the remote. "Thank you," she whispered. Tony started to leave and Ziva sat down. "Tony. Stay."

Tony turned around and looked at her as she turned it up. Tony went and sat on her desk. She joined him and put her head on his shoulder. Tony's arm went around her shoulders and held her there. They were totally silent, knowing that Gibbs didn't expect both of them to be late. They stayed there for about a half hour until the CD was done.

They stood up at the same time and held hands as they exited the NCIS building together. Neither had said a word since the soundtrack had begun and they had ignored the tears in each other's eyes the entire time. It was when they were both finally stowed in Tony's car that Ziva finally looked at Tony.

"The big three?" she asked quietly.

"That's what they say," Tony whispered before starting the car.

"I see why," Ziva whispered, leaning across the center of the car and kissing him on the lips. "Let's go to dinner."

* * *

A/N – Like I said, it's short, but I didn't have much to add, or modify in this case. I hope you liked it. Let me know!


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